Stephan Jaeger began wrapping up his month to savor forever Thursday afternoon by playing in the Web.com Tour's Nashville Open at the Nashville Golf & Athletic Club.
The former Baylor School and University of Tennessee at Chattanooga golfer arrived in Nashville as the money leader on the Web.com, having earned $249,855 with wins in South Carolina and Illinois. The second of those victories took place June 8-11 at the Rust-Oleum Championship in Ivanhoe, Ill., and clinched a PGA Tour card for him for the 2018 season.
That performance also was sandwiched between Jaeger qualifying June 5 for the 117th U.S. Open and then competing all four rounds June 15-18 in Erin Hills, Wis. He was even par through two rounds at the U.S. Open, which resulted in a third-round pairing with Jordan Spieth.
Before teeing off in Nashville, Jaeger was a guest of "Press Row" on Chattanooga's ESPN 105.1 FM.
Q: How does it sound being introduced as the Web.com Tour's money leader?
A: "It doesn't get old. Trust me."
Q: How wild has this month been for you?
A: "It's been exhausting. Looking back at it now, it's been a dream come true. I didn't have the start that I wanted at the beginning of the year, and to think that I'm leading the money list two or three months later is crazy. I got to play in the U.S. Open, and I'm already looking forward to playing on the PGA Tour next year.
"I'm exhausted, but it's been awesome. I can't think of a better way to spend a month."
Q: What was it like playing a U.S. Open round with Jordan Spieth?
A: "He's a superstar, and I had never met the guy, so I had no idea what he was like or what kind of mood he would be in. He's an incredibly humble guy, and I was very, very impressed, and it was the same way with his caddie. They were two normal guys.
"You always see him on TV and in interviews, and he's just very down to earth. I really enjoyed my round with him. Now, there were people everywhere, but it was a really cool experience with a really cool guy."
Q: You beat Jordan that day by a couple of strokes. How motivated were you to win that pairing?
A: "You know now as much as anything that you can play with those type of guys. You can compete and beat them some days. Golf is such a funny sport, because anybody can beat anybody else in a professional tournament on a given day. If Dustin Johnson has a terrible day, a mini-tour player from Canada can beat him that day if he has a good day.
"I beat him that day, but what gave me confidence is that I really didn't have my game that tournament but still played well and was in the middle of the pack until Sunday."
Q: Given all the people watching you and Jordan, do you still get butterflies on the tee box?
A: "The most butterflies I had that week were on that Saturday. I don't know if it was the crowds or Jordan or getting to play the weekend at a major, because that's a pretty cool thing. When nerves come in for us, that means we've done something pretty well, and for us it's a good feeling to have, so you need to embrace them and not fear them."
Q: When will you start playing PGA Tour events on a regular basis?
A: "Our final Web.com tournament is the first weekend of October, and I think the PGA Tour season starts that second weekend. There will be no break until the end of November. There will be six or seven events that you can play in, and you've got to play them all. The better start you can get off to, the better year you can have."
Contact David Paschall at dpaschall@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6524.